Never Alone
by Etheriell
Summary: Weiss' team will never leave her to suffer alone in this world. Major character death. Read at your own risk.


**So Xlthuathopec and Hanasakau-shijin(momoxtoshiro on ffdotnet) had this conversation on tumblr about Weiss' semblance and her summoning. And it led to me being inspired to write this. This is tragic and angsty and make sure you are aware of that before you read this. Read at your own risk.**

* * *

It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was not how their last year was supposed to go. They were supposed to graduate together, go out and face the world together. This wasn't _right!_ Weiss was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what lay before her.

She'd been separated from her team, fighting off a multitude of enemies. It wasn't until she heard a massive explosion and a loud scream of agony that she knew where to go. Terrified, she'd rushed as fast as she could towards the smoke and heat. She had shoved past burning corpses and clambering over crushed walls. She coughed as she tried to see through the blackened air. Blood flowed down her face, splattered all over her ripped and torn clothes. But she came upon the place where she had heard the scream, and there she froze.

Nerveless hands dropped Myrtenaster, shaking as she brought them up to cover her mouth. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. Blake lay, a massive jagged metal sheet impaled through her abdomen.. The left half of Yang's body was burned, the charred flesh shuddering as she tried to breathe. A trickle of blood dripped from Ruby's mouth as her silver eyes met ice blue. Her lifeblood draining from the massive gashes spread across her entire front. Her right leg bent at an angle no leg should be at.

Weiss rushed over to kneel by Ruby's side, glancing between her, Blake, and Yang. With shaking hands, she tried to place them over the wounds on Ruby's front, but Ruby laid her hand on Weiss' arm and weakly pushed it back. Ruby coughed, more blood splatting up from her as she tried to speak. "Weiss…it's too late."

Weiss shook her head, tears trickling down her cheeks. " _NO!_ No! It's not too late. I-it's not! You're going to be fine Ruby. You, Blake, Yang, you're all going to be fine. You're going to be fine. We'll just get you stable and get you out of her, you'll be fine. You're going to be fine."

"Sorry princess, but I don't...don't think it works that w-way," Yang's choked reply came, a crooked smile on her face. Her eyes had faded to lilac once more, the redness of battle having left. Weiss shook her head in negation, her tears flung out from her.

"Weiss…your summons…you summon what you've killed, right?" Blake asked haltingly, focusing her one good eye on Weiss' form where she knelt by Ruby. Weiss glanced back at Blake and nodded, helplessly wringing her hands in her lap. Blake tilted her head to the side to lock eyes with Yang, seeming to share an unheard conversation with her. Ruby smiled softly when Blake looked at her, nodding gently. Blake took a deep, shuddering breath, a tear dripping down her cheek as she spoke. "Kill us."

Weiss' world froze, eyes wide when Blake spoke. She stared at Blake, unfocused, mouth gaping as she tried to comprehend what Blake had just said. "W-What?"

"We're not gonna make it, Weiss," came Yang's reply, the crooked half-smile still on her face. "But we're not going to just leave you alone. We're family…f-family sticks together." Weiss' attention was pulled down to Ruby, a content smile across the younger girl's face. Her hand reached up and gripped the remains of Weiss' bolero.

"Weiss? C-can you do me a favor?" Ruby's voice was pleading as she gazed up at Weiss. Weiss gulped, nodding. "Be the hero, o-ok? The one I wanted to be. I never stopped believing we could do it, and-" Ruby's response was cut off by a hacking cough. More blood spurted up as her back arched. Weiss grabbed onto her shoulders, trying to hold her in place,. With a final watery gasp, she managed to stop, a grimace of pain spread across her face. Her grip on Weiss' bolero having tightened, she pulled Weiss closer to finish what she had been trying to say. "A-and I believe in you, Weiss."

Weiss' chest felt unbelievably tight. She could barely hear underneath the blood rushing through her ears, and her eyesight was blurred by all the tears streaming down her face. Ruby fell into another coughing fit, her grip failing her as her arm fell from Weiss'. Weiss looked down, horrified, as Ruby's eyes began fluttering, her breath becoming shallow.

" _N-NO!_ No, I can't! I can't do it! You can't ask me to do this! You're going to be fine! Ruby! _Ruby Rose! Open your eyes!_ " Weiss screamed, her throat raw. Ruby's eyes fluttered open again. She gazed up at Weiss, blood trickling down her lip. With great effort, she shook her head.

"It's…it's time, Weiss," Blake spoke, smiling weakly at Weiss. Weiss bowed her head for a moment, torn, but once more she locked her eyes with her teammates, her friends. She saw the determination, the same drive they had always had, the same desperate wish she had. She opened her mouth to speak, but Blake interrupted her. "Weiss…please." Blake's plea broke Weiss' resolve.

Weiss stood up, taking the step over to Blake's side. Staring down into a single amber eye, Weiss sobbed. She reached out to take Blake in her arms, trying to avoid pushing against the metal piece. Blake managed to lift one arm up, letting it fall down on Weiss' shoulder as Weiss held her. Weiss released Blake, sniffling, reaching up to Blake's hair. Blake nodded once, as Weiss pulled the ribbon off, freeing Blake's ears. Weiss gave one soft stroke on Blake's ears, before moving to her feet once more. She tied the ribbon around her arm as she moved over to Yang.

She knelt next to Yang on her right side, reaching one hand out and laying it on Yang's unburnt shoulder. Leaning forward, Weiss buried her head in Yang's neck. Weiss sobbed into her hair as Yang squeezed Weiss back with her right arm. Yang let her head fall on top of Weiss', kissing her hair as she whispered "You'll never be alone, Weiss." A gentle push from Yang lifted Weiss up from her shoulder, teary blue eyes meeting lilac ones. Yang smiled at her and nodded towards where Ruby lay.

Weiss made her way back to Ruby's side, kneeling once more at her side. Grabbing up Ruby's hand and squeezing it, she waited until Ruby opened her eyes again. Ruby's smile was crooked, but her gaze was so genuine and filled with so much love and affection Weiss couldn't hold back her sobs. Ruby's other hand made its way up to Weiss' face, gently stroking her cheek, wiping her tears away. Weiss brought Ruby's hand up to her mouth and kissed her knuckles, laying it down to rest next to Ruby as she stood once more.

Weiss slowly picked up Myrtenaster, looking down at her three teammates, at her friends…at her _family._ Letting the cylinder spin, the chamber stopping on blue as she called upon her aura. Three ice daggers formed in midair, floating over the chests of the three women on the ground. Holding her rapier point down, she let her gaze meet each one of theirs once more. Stuttering, her voice a whisper, she spoke. "I…I love you."

Yang managed another grin, holding up one hand and giving her a thumbs up. Blake formed her hands into a tiny heart, able to hold it only for a second before her strength faltered. Ruby coughed, but gave voice to what they all wanted to say. "We love you too."

With one final, anguished scream, her heart shattering into uncountable pieces, Weiss brought the rapier down.

* * *

Seven years. It had taken her seven years to the day, but she had found him. Seven years of hunting every lead she could, seven years of trying to clean up the catastrophe's he left in his wake. Seven years of helping rebuild communities, of giving and giving of herself, but it would finally end today. Seven years of dealing with the guilt of having been the one to come back alone from that mission, of having to give Ruby's cloak to Taiyang. Watching the light disappear from his eyes when he realized his family was gone once again. Seven years ago, watching all their friends pouring tears from their eyes at the funeral. Trying to comfort them even as her own heart remained ground into dust.

She had tried to give life to Ruby's last wish. She had locked away her feelings, always smiling. She took time to push for better lives for the Faunus, to help children find hope. She became the hero from the storybooks, everything she believed Ruby would have wanted. She pushed and pushed for rights for Faunus, doing whatever she had to in an attempt to fulfill Blake's professed desire long ago during the mission at Mountain Glenn. She had taken to wearing a cloak, the emblems of her fallen friends emblazoned on the back.

The same cloak swirled behind her as she stared down the man responsible for all this. The man who destroyed the lives of thousands, the singular man responsible for all the pain still etched across her heart. She had finally found him. He had nowhere left to hide, nowhere left to run. She'd dismantled his armies, destroyed all his connections, and backed him into a corner. Now, she stood before him, just the two of them in one massive hangar, his last escape a frozen wreck behind him.

The bastard didn't even appear phased. He stood, one hand on his hip, one eyebrow cocked as he smirked at her. "Well, you finally found me. Now what?"

Weiss' grip on Myrtenaster tightened, shoulders shaking in rage as she glared at him. "Now…you die."

"Oh my, so vicious! What, don't I get a trial? Isn't that how this is supposed to work?" His tone was mocking, laughter bubbling up from within him as he spoke.

Weiss lifted her rapier, pointing it at him, the cylinder spun to white. "You were found guilty seven years ago, when you took my family from me."

He shrugged, still unconcerned. "Really, what makes you think you can kill me anyways? Better people than you have tried. Your dead teammates tried you know. What can you possibly do without them? You're all alone."

Weiss took a deep, shuddering breath, lowering Myrtenaster to her side. Closing her eyes, she reached deep within, feeling their presence. Ruby's effervescent joy in life, Blake's quiet, calm serenity, Yang's fiery passion. She felt them, held them in her soul, and _released_.

White glyphs formed around her on the ground, slowly spinning. Light began streaming up from them, flowing together to form into brilliant blue-white figures. A massive scythe held in the hands of a young woman, a flowing cape billowing behind her. Long, unruly hair, two hands clenched in fists as blue flames flickered around the form of a second woman. One final woman, two pointed ears on top of her head, a katana in one hand with its sheath in the other.

Letting her eyes open, she looked at the three women around her, locking her eyes with silver, lilac, and amber. They nodded to her. Turning, she locked gazes once more with the man before her. More white glyphs spiraled into existence behind her, the forms of glowing white Grimm beginning to take shape. An angry screech as a immense scorpion took form, its claws snapping a couple times as it came into being. The slithering of a titanic, two headed serpent, tongue's flickering out into the air as it glared a baleful gaze at the man before it. Hulking, bestial wolfish and ursine forms, spikes appearing from their backs. A colossal blue-white knight formed behind her, unslinging a large broadsword from its back as it knelt behind Weiss.

Weiss lifted her rapier to point once more at the man. His mocking expression had vanished, fear replacing it as his eyes darted around looking for an escape. Weiss' lips curved into a smile as she spoke, her whisper carrying across the deathly silent hangar.

"I am never alone."


End file.
